


In the Depths of Rapture

by Chelsea_the_Hobbit



Category: BioShock, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Dystopia, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Phanfiction, intense??, this sucks, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-24 05:58:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4908013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chelsea_the_Hobbit/pseuds/Chelsea_the_Hobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I chose... Rapture, a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, Where the great would not be constrained by the small! And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."</p><p>Dan and Phil never expected themselves to end up in a dystopian city, much less this one. Rapture.<br/>The boys fight their way through this deathtrap of a city to find a way out.<br/>Now.. Would you kindly start reading..?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sequence One

**Author's Note:**

> Well, bear with me. This is the first time I have ever written fanfic.  
> Let me know what you think, I'd gladly appreciate it.

_"I chose... Rapture, a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, Where the great would not be constrained by the small! And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."_

__

The voice of a man by the name of Andrew Ryan, a name too familiar to Phil's ears, echoed within the Bathysphere as him and Dan descended farther into the Atlantic. "Dan..do you realize where we are?" Phil whispered, awestruck by the views of the underwater city. Dan did know where they were, his knowledge over video games wasn't as vast as Phil's but he had remembered watching Phil play this, "Yes..good god..we're in Rapture. Basically in the game of Bioshock..," Dan whispered back as he stared out from the Bathysphere. The ocean, its view masked by the enormous buildings and corridors that look like delicate test tubes. As they passed a clear hall, Phil couldn't help but give a small gasp, the all too familiar gargantuan was securing the seal of the glass so the water wouldn't come rushing in. "Dan..that's..that's a Big Daddy, oh my god.."

"Jesus Christ, Phil..how are we even _h--_ ," Dan was cut off, the voices of two other men were heard coming from the service radio as they were coming into an unloading station.

“... we're in the middle of the Atlantic ocean ... How could it-”

“ ... dunno. You'd best get over there, and be quick about it...the splicers are coming.”

“You've gotta be kidding - How do you know someone's even coming?”  
“ 'Cause we got a bathysphere on its way down ... that means we've got company.”  
“O-okay, just one more minute ... the 'sphere - the 'sphere is coming up now…”  
“Johnny, security's banging off all over ... get a move on!”

Dan and Phil looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces as they pulled into the unloading dock. Eventually, puzzled looks were replaced with faces of fear as they huddled close together in the back of the bathysphere as they watched a bloody scene unfold.

“Please, lady...I didn't mean no trespass. Just don't hurt me…Just let me go...you can keep my gun. You can --”  
  


Phil looked over to Dan, terrified, “Dan, I think the guy outside is that Johnny guy that was mentioned over the service radio..”

Dan was speechless, the blood drained from his face. He just stared back at Phil, not knowing what to do. He was paralyzed with gut wrenching fear as he listened to the young man, choking and groaning in pain as the woman sliced him open, killing him instantly and letting his limp body fall to the floor. She turned towards the bathysphere and crept closer to the only thing separating Dan and Phil from death: the bulky glass door.

“Is it..someone _new_?”

She tried to peer through the glass, trying to get a look of her next prey but the lights all around were barely flickering, some broken, which in turn boiled frustration within her. She let out bloodcurdling screams, furious over the fact that she had no access to her next victims. She jumped on top of the bathysphere, moving it as she rocked it back and forth in anger, the sound of metal scratching and squeaking made Dan and Phil cover their ears. But she continued. Beating it and breaking it until she felt that the damage dealt was enough. She finally leaped off the contraption and ran off. Phil was the first to get up, he peered out through the glass to see if she had left. Dan was still curled up on the floor of the bathysphere, visibly shaken from the recent event. Phil walked back to Dan and helped him up, reassuring him that everything was alright and as soon as Phil was about to attempt the opening of the door, the man from earlier, the man who sent Johnny down to retrieve them, was now speaking to them directly from the service radio.

“ _Would you kindly_ pick up that shortwave radio?”

Something in Phil’s head clicked. The words _‘Would you kindly?’_ rang a quiet bell in his ears and his legs began to move. As if the phrase commanded him, controlled him. He couldn’t stop himself from moving. He knew what he was doing, but at the same time, Why was he doing it? Everything around him seemed slowed, he felt as if he was slowed as he reached for the radio. The man on the other end seemed annoyed that Phil hadn’t picked up the radio.

“Grab that shortwave _now._ That splicer's out there still.”

As soon as Phil had picked up the radio, the door to the bathysphere opened up. Phil turned around and motioned Dan to follow along. The stench of seawater filled Phil’s nose and made him gag, he had never smelt this much of the ocean before. Before Phil could even say anything to Dan, the man from the service radio began to speak again.

“I don't know how you survived, but I've never been one to question providence. I'm Atlas, and I aim to keep you alive. Now keep on moving...we're gonna have to get you to higher ground. Take a deep breath and step out of the bathysphere. I won't leave you twisting in the wind.”

Phil took Dan’s hand in his, and they continued walking deeper into Rapture. They could hear the female splicer heaving as they came across an open area with pieces of luggage strewn all over, concrete pillars cracked or lying on the floor, completely destroyed. The man from the service radio, now known as Atlas, spoke up.

“We're gonna need to draw her out of hiding. But you’re both gonna have to trust me.”

The splicer spotted them, bloodthirsty, she crept closer.

“I'll wrap you in a sheet.”

Not noticing the security camera, she continued moving forward.. Atlas knew what was to come.

“Just a bit further…,” then, before the boys knew it, security bots came swarming in, shooting at the splicer. “How do you like that, sister?” shouted Atlas. Once the splicer was out of sight and gone, Atlas spoke up once again, “Now, _would you kindly_ find a crowbar or something? Bloody splicers sealed Johnny in before they..,” he let out an exasperated sigh, “goddamn splicers..”

The boys continued forward and came across a wrench. _‘Would you kindly?’_ echoed within Phil’s ears as he picked up the wrench. “What are we even doing here Dan..?” He turned around with a concerned look on his face, and he knew the answer to his own question before Dan could even speak it. Dan’s voice trembled and he shook his head, looking all around him, “I.. I don’t know. I wish I knew, Phil. I wish I knew..”

Phil turned back around and swung at the debris in front of him, clearing the path. As soon as they stepped through the hole in the wall, they stood at the foot of stairs and as soon as they looked up, a couch lit on fire came flying towards them. Phil grabbed Dan by the arm and pulled them to the side, the couch crashing into the holey wall. The voice of a male splicer became more clear as they ascended the stairs.

It was so sudden, the splicer attacked them with a steel pipe, barely missing Phil’s arm. Phil swung the wrench and hit the splicer, the hit killing him instantly.

“Oh god, Dan..,” Phil covered his mouth, on the verge of puking. He looked through the pockets of the splicer to see if anything would be of good use. He found a first aid kit and a large syringe filled with a bright blue, glowing liquid. He put it in his pocket, he figured that it would be useful eventually.

Phil’s head was spinning, he had just killed a man.. or whatever that thing was. He could barely understand the child’s voice echoing in the room they were in.

_"My daddy's SMARTER than Einstein, STRONGER than Hercules, and can light a fire with a SNAP of his fingers! Are you as good as my daddy, mister? Not if you don't visit the Gatherer's Garden, you aren't!"_

__

There were more stairs to be climbed, they noticed a door that was closed shut but the control panel was sparking. They figured that they could find a way through once they finished searching the area. The boys came across the machine that kept repeating the high toned dialogue. It was a vending machine of a sorts, large and covered in purple. Two statues of little girls were on either side of the machine and the sign above it, with its glowing neon letters read: _“Gatherer’s Garden, Genetic Modifications.”_

__

There was a glass bottle with glowing red liquid and a syringe filled with the same liquid right beside it. Not knowing what else to do, Phil reached for the syringe and injected himself, watching the massive syringe empty the liquid into his vein. At first, he felt nothing different, he turned around to look at Dan and gave him a mere shrug, but then he felt it. His skin felt as if it was going to peel right off, he felt as if he was being electrocuted, and there were.. there were patterns of lighting, glowing blue, on his skin.

“Steady now! Your genetic code is being rewritten -- just hold on and everything will be fine!”

He couldn’t hold himself together and as he reached to grab onto the railing of the balcony, he lost balance and fell over the railing, listening to Dan’s voice fading away as he shouted his name.

“PHIL!!”

\-----------

Phil could barely see, his vision blurred, but he knew at once that the man who was speaking was not Dan. It was a Splicer and beside him was another of his kind.

“This little fish looks like he just had his cherry _POPPED_...wonder if he's still got some ADAM on him.”  
  
“You hear that?” There was the loud sound of heavy footsteps near by, “Let's bug!”  
  
“Weak! You're a weak chopper!”  
  


“This little fish ain't worth toying it with no Big Daddy!”

“Yellow! Always have been! You'll be no better off with the metal Daddy, little fish. See you floating in the briney…”

Phil’s vision began to fade again and before he knew it, everything was black once again.

Time began to pass and Phil awoke once again, this time, a hulking figure was standing in front of him. Every step the figure took, made the room shake. A little girl ran up beside the figure, and began to comment over Phil.

“Look, Mr. Bubbles, it's an angel. I can see light coming from his belly. Wait a minute, he's still breathing. It's alright, I know he'll be an angel soon..”

Eventually the little girl and the massive monster walked away, and Phil got up, still feeling off balance and woozy. Atlas began talking to him once again.

“You all right, boyo? First time plasmid's a real kick from a mule. But...there's nothing like a fistful of lightning, now is there?”  
  


Phil felt a sort of energy flowing through him, as if the electricity itself was in his veins. He looked all around him, but he couldn’t find Dan. “Dan! Dan, where are you? Are you alright?”

Phil walked back up to where the vending machine was and he found Dan peering from behind it, “Dan!” he reached for Dan, “I’m so glad you’re alright.” He helped Dan to his feet and helped him brush off the dirt and debris from his clothing, once that was done, Dan immediately engulfed Phil with a hug.

“God, Phil...I thought you had died,” tears began to well up in his eyes, “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Dan buried his face back into Phil’s chest and Phil rested his head on Dan’s.

After the embrace, the boys turned around to face the large door that they had came across earlier. Phil figured that with the new genetic enhancement, the electricity coming from his hands would make the door function once more. He raised his hand and pointed it towards the control panel. A shot of lightning radiated from his fingertips, the only sensation that it left was a sort of tingling. The jolt of electricity brought the door back to life and it opened up, revealing one of the long glass corridors that they had seen when coming into the city. They headed down the hallway, taking in the view of the rest of the city. Eventually they came to the end of the hallway, and came across another of the bulky doors and it opened up as soon as they got close to it. Continuing onward, they came into contact with more splicers, Phil taking them out, and still feeling sick from the first encounter with one, and finding more vials of the blue, glowing liquid on his way.

Once through the snaking halls, the boys came across a large room with elevators. One came flying down, on fire, exploding as it came in contact with the cold hard ground. They had been walking and it had been cold and wet, now with the heat emitting from the destroyed elevator, Dan let out a sigh. To Dan it had felt like he hadn’t felt heat in ages, as if this was something brand new that came into contact with his senses.

“None of these elevators work..,” Dan began to examine the small control panels of the elevators that were once available and useful. Clicking all the buttons, minus the one that was on fire, Dan came to one that called the elevator down, “Hey, hey Phil, this one works!” He turned to Phil, Phil had been looking up taking in the view of such a high ceiling. Dan motioned him to come over and they entered the elevator, as it took them up to the next floor at a slow pace, Atlas began to speak from the small radio in Phil’s pocket.

  
“Listen - I've got a family. I need to get them out of here. But the splicers have cut me off from them. If you boys can reach them in Neptune's Bounty, then maybe, just maybe…”

Phil began zoning out, staring at the large banners hanging from the ceiling that read:  _Creativity, Independence, Commerce._ Atlas started again, a tone of hesitance in his voice.  
  


“I know you two must feel like the unluckiest men in the world right now, but you're boys are the only hope I'll ever see my wife and child again. Go to Neptune's Bounty...find my family... _please_.”

“ _\--hil..Phil, hey are you okay?_ ” Phil could barely hear Dan speaking, _Would you kindly_ was echoing in the recesses of his thoughts, he couldn’t shake it. Phil turned to look at Dan who had been waving his hand in his face, “Yeah.. uh, sorry, I was just reading those banners..”

Dan pursed his lips, seeing right through Phil’s lie. He knew that something was up with Phil, but he couldn’t figure it out. “It’s Atlas. He wants us to head on over to Neptune’s Bounty, he says his family is there and we may be the last hope he has. We’ve just got to figure out where Neptune’s Bounty is.” As soon at the elevator came to a halt, Phil nodded and stepped out. There was a glowing neon sign above them, the color fuchsia dancing on their faces as they both read the sign aloud: _“Kashmir Restaurant..”_

Dan followed behind him as they came across a baby carriage and a corpse beside it. Inside the carriage was a revolver, a box of ammo sitting on the small pillow within the carriage. Phil had come closer to the corpse and took off the heavily decorated mask. Atlas’s somber voice poured out from the radio.

“Plasmids changed _everything_. They destroyed our bodies, our minds. We couldn't handle it. Best friends butchering one another, babies strangled in cribs. The whole city went to hell.”  
  


The look on Phil’s face went directly to fear. He was terrified as his attention was set on the dead woman’s face. Her face was completely disfigured. She had no nose and the skin on her face had sagged down and seemed to pool in one area of her face. It seemed as if her mouth was never closed, for her teeth were shifted and stuck out. Phil saw the rest of her body, her whole entirety was misshapen. Her stomach fell out as if a tumor was welling up inside, her legs were about the same, but one had a high heel shoe and the other did not. The other had mutated and grew as if the foot itself had a heel of its own. _Plasmids._ The red liquid that Phil had injected himself with was a plasmid. Everything began to click and Phil’s fear escalated to downright horror. _He was going to turn into..THAT..a..a splicer.._

 _No_ , he thought to himself, _No.. I won’t let it take over. I will not become a splicer..I’m just thinking of the irrational.. nothing will happen._

And he was right. Nothing will happen.

Phil snapped back to the task at hand, ignoring the comments Dan was making as they walked into the restaurant. Signs that read Happy New Year: 1959 glowed dimly, giving the room a soft tone of pink. In the background, Noel Coward’s voice floated through the air.

_Life is sweet,_   
_But time is fleet_   
_beneath the magic of the moon._   
_Dancing time_   
_May seem sublime,_   
_But it ended all too soon._   
  
_The thrill has gone,_   
_To linger on_   
_Would spoil it anyhow;_   
_Let's creep away_   
_From the day,_   
_For the party's over now._

The boys continued on, searching through every crack and crevice for any supplies they might find. Eventually they come across the restrooms, a trail of rubble leads them to a hole in the wall and they go through, walking along the catwalks and peering down at the scene right below them, a little girl was leaning over a dead body, singing quietly to herself.

_Mr. Bubbles, Mr. Bubbles,_   
_Are you there? Are you there?_   
_Come and give me lollies,_   
_Come and bring me toffees,_   
_Teddy bears, teddy bears._

A whisper came from the service radio.

“Careful now... _would you kindly_ lower that weapon for a minute? You think that's a child down there? Don't be fooled. She's a Little Sister now. Somebody went and turned a sweet baby girl into a monster. Whatever you thought about right and wrong on the surface, well, that don't count for much down in Rapture. Those Little Sisters, they carry ADAM - the genetic material that keeps the wheels of Rapture turning. Everybody wants it; everybody needs it.”

The boys work their way across the catwalk and they make it to the other side, going down the stairs. They come across a gate that has been padlocked and eventually the thick glass that separates them from the little girl. She was busy poking a large syringe into the body, not realizing that a splicer was coming from behind. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, hitting her in the head with the butt of his pistol in the process, but he began to cower in his place as loud, rumbling sound filled the building. Phil knew what was to come. _A Big Daddy._ The hulking giant came from the top of the catwalk where Dan and Phil had been, as he landed everything shook. The splicer was terrified, looking for ways to escape the fight, but he had nowhere to go, the door he came through had locked on its own. The Big Daddy began throwing items that were near him, the splicer barely dodging it all. But it was the end for the splicer. The Big Daddy charged at him, sending his body flying like a rag doll, hitting the wall. The giant shoved the massive drill into the splicer, blood and guts spewing everywhere. A massive hand grabbed the now dead splicer by the head, and began to pound it against the glass until it broke, leaving the limp body on the edge. Atlas cleared his throat and began speaking.

  
“That's the Big Daddy. She gathers ADAM, he keeps her safe.”

The Big Daddy left, busting the locked door down, leaving everything in shambles. Phil swung the wrench and broke the padlock, opening the gate. As they made their way down, Atlas let them know that they were getting close to Neptune’s Bounty, but before that, there were splicers standing before the boys. Atlas gave Phil some advice.

“If you spot a splicer in the water, hit 'em with the Electro Bolt.”

Phil raised his hand and sent a strike of electricity towards the water, frying the splicers in their place. Once the electricity died down in the water, him and Phil passed through, looking up as they did so they spotted the sign that said _Neptune’s Bounty._

“There! Come on Phil, lets go!” Dan grabbed Phil’s hand and began to run towards the entrance, but before they could even step through, a gate cut them off and a bright red, flashing light filled the area, a loud alarm began screeching, and as soon as they knew it, a pack of splicers filled the place. Phil tossed the wrench to Dan, “HERE! TAKE IT, I’LL USE THE REVOLVER!” Dan fumbled with the wrench as he swung at the splicers, taking them out and trying not to puke. Phil on the other hand, Phil had never used a gun before. The closest he’s ever used one was through the controls of a video game. His hand was shaking as he raised the gun at the charging splicer and he pulled the trigger, the gunshot echoing and the _thud_ that the body made was all that Phil could hear. He had no other choice but to defend himself. Yes, these are people but now.. could it even be _possible_ to think of them as humans?

As soon as the all of the splicers were taken out, Atlas was screeching through the radio, panic resonating in his voice.

“It's Ryan! Goddamn Andrew Ryan! He found us! _Dammit!_ He's shut off all access to Neptune. There's another way to get there...head to Medical! What are you waiting for? _Go!_ ”

 **  
** Phil felt sick to his stomach but he felt the adrenaline rushing through him, he grabbed Dan’s hand and they broke into a run, going towards the other entrance that read Medical Pavilion. Everything was such a blur and all Phil could remember was himself thinking, _What did we just get ourselves into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, I'd gladly appreciate it.  
> Sequence Two will be coming soon.


	2. Sequence Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are now in the Medical Pavilion, coming face to face with a doctor.  
> A doctor whose sanity has been missing.  
> Will they make it out alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry, I promised this chapter to come soon, but I've been so busy with school that I've just barely got the time to write this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it though!

The sound of the alarms were ringing in Phil’s ears as he took Dan’s hand. He couldn’t feel his legs, he couldn’t feel anything, as if his body was running on its own. The boys ran down the halls, following the signs that lead to the Medical Pavilion, finally getting to the bulkhead. The lights around them shut off completely and the bulkhead shutting up before they could get through. Atlas, irritated as could be, hissed through the radio.

“Ah, Christ! You're trapped! Gonna try to override the exit from here!”

A voice that the boys had heard earlier in the bathysphere was now echoing in the room. Andrew Ryan. He had shut them off, closing the gates and leaving them trapped with nowhere to go. A large screen flickered behind a panel of glass, and its light filled the dark room.

“So tell me, friend ... which one of the bitches sent you? The KGB wolf? Or the CIA jackal? Here's the news: Rapture isn't some sunken ship for you to plunder and Andrew Ryan isn't a giddy socialite who can be slapped around by government muscle. And with that, farewell. Or dosvedanya. Whichever you prefer.”

The screen went to what said Please Stand By and it started to cut off, the light from its screen coming and going. Soon, behind the panel of glass, splicers appeared, banging at the glass, trying to get it to break. Phil pushed Dan behind him, his hand was resting on Dan’s arm and he felt Dan shaking.

“Dan.. Dan, just listen to me, pay attention to my voice. Everything will be alright, okay? Everything will be okay, I promise you.”

“P-Phil, why are we even here..?”

“I don’t know Dan..,” Phil tightened the grip on the revolver, getting ready for what was to come, “I don’t know.. but we’re getting out of here, as soon as we can.”

Phil could hear the glass cracking, on the verge of breaking, but before the splicers could snuff their flames, Atlas got the bulkhead back open.

“I got it! Get out of there! Get out _now_!!”

Phil turned around, turning Dan along with him and pulling him along into the small area to take them to Medical Pavilion. Dan was ghostly, the blood drained from his face, and his eyes widened. Phil took him into his arms, and put his face on Dan’s shoulder, speaking into it.

“Hey.. Hey, it’s alright now. We’re out of there, we’ve just got to get through Medical, okay? We’ll be out of here before we know it.” He rubbed at Dan’s back in gentle circles.

Dan had his eyes shut tight, shaking slightly, and speaking into Phil’s shoulder as well,

“I goddamn hope so Phil, I hope we’re out of here soon.”

They stayed in the embrace until they came to a halt, the bulkhead opening back up. A poster staring straight at them let them know that they were in the right place. The poster had a photo of a stunning young woman, and it read:

 

_With ADAM, there’s no reason not to be BEAUTIFUL!_

_Dr. Steinman’s Cosmetic Enhancement_

They stepped out and Atlas began to speak again.

“Now you've met Andrew Ryan, the bloody king of Rapture. Now find your way to emergency access.”

The boys made their way through the foyer of the Medical Pavilion, picking up money that was laying on the ground and EVE hypos for Phil to use his Plasmid. Dan found some contraption that was blocking off one of the doors.

“Hey Phil, check this out. It’s some sort of flying robot..”

Phil walked over to Dan and looked at the hunk of metal.

“Huh..yeah.. it is..Is there anything to turn it on, or some button or anything?”

Dan began to turn the robot over, being careful not to catch his fingers in the door.

“Uh..by the looks of it..no, there’s no buttons but I think.. I think I can hack it so it can be our little sidekick.”

Dan went from kneeling to down on his butt. He began to fumble with the wires, rewiring what needed to be rewired and taking out what was unnecessary. Eventually, the contraption roared to life, the little propellers whirring away. It unhinged itself from the door and went through it, the boys followed after it and as soon as they knew it, the bot began to beep, and eventually the sound of gunfire began to fill the room. The bot was protecting them from splicers that flooded the room, soon the room fell silent again, with disfigured bodies strewn. The signs on the wall said they were nearing the Emergency Access, so they followed the stairs up to come face to face with a lever, that being the Emergency Access Control. Phil pulled the lever and immediately the room was filled with a bright red light, and the monitor beside the lever read Access Denied.

“Damn it..,” muttered Phil under his breath.

Before he could say anything further, Atlas spoke up.

“If you want to use the emergency access, you'll be needing Dr. Steinman's key. He's the one what runs this place. But I don't expect him to hand it to you out of the milk of human kindness. Steinman ain't that kind, and frankly, I'm not even sure he's still human. You keep an eye peeled for Steinman. The daft bastard's set up shop in the surgery wing. You wanna find him, just follow the blood.”

A door behind the boys opened up, and they followed the path which lead them to the Electrical Override Switch, which brought power throughout the Pavilion and a machine gun, which Dan picked up and slung it over his shoulder. They left that small room and headed back to the foyer to find splicers waiting impatiently for their arrival.

······

Once they cleared the splicers, they headed to the second floor of the Pavilion, following the signs that guided them to Surgery, to Dr. Steinman. They eventually made it to his area, not the surgery wing, to which they were greeted by a splicer, armed with grenades. The splicers threw one down, and the explosion created a cloud of dust and smoke, creating debris, and through the midst of it all, managed to take Dan to bring to Dr. Steinman.

“PHIL! PH-”

Dan was cut off by a hand over his mouth as the splicer dragged him away.

“DAN! WHERE ARE YOU? DAN!”

Phil was waving his hand through the air to clear out the dust and smoke, trying to get a glimpse of where the splicer might have gone with Dan, but once he managed to clear it out and settle with the coughing, Dan and the splicer were nowhere to be found. Atlas’ static voice came through the radio.

“I can hear that splicer sounding off like it's the 4th of July. Explosives are hard to come by down here, but if you get your hands on one of them telekinesis plasmids, you could catch the damn firebombs and toss it right back in his gob ... or anything else that might be standing in your way.”

Phil went back the way he came through, exploring different rooms to find this telekinesis plasmid. Although looking for telekinesis, he came across another plasmid: Incinerate!

He injected himself with the glowing red liquid and immediately he felt heat welling up inside of him, he felt as if his skin was going to boil off and his hands gave off a warm feeling. The effects of the plasmid had him on his hands and knees, dizzy and sweating cold. His left hand glowed a dim red and his other was in an oil slick that followed out of the room, the oil beneath the feet of nearby splicers. Phil didn’t have the time to take them out one by one so he lit the oil with a snap of his fingers, and the splicers lit up. He crawled out of the room, barely able to stand, with the putrid odor of charred skin making his stomach churn and in turn making him puke. Disoriented and weak, Phil stood back up, trying to keep his balance.

_I can’t give up now, he thought, Dan..I can’t let him die, he can’t die..I..I can’t lose him.._

With that in mind, Phil continued on the journey to find the plasmid Atlas had instructed him to find. Atlas, on the other hand, began to go on about Andrew Ryan, a tone of displeasement clear in his voice.

“All roads in Rapture lead to Ryan. The security, the splicers, the Big Daddies, the Little Sisters: he pumps some kind of chemical scent in the air, pheromones they call it, makes them all dance to his tune.”

Phil waved off what Atlas was saying and continued on, coming face to face with a large conglomeration of ice. With a snapping of his fingers, Phil had melted the ice, continuing onward into the dental department of the Medical Pavilion and making his way into Dandy Dental. The Place was filled with ocean water, leaking in from the ceiling. Medical instruments were strewn everywhere, the water creating rust on the dental chairs and instruments, everything was dirty and misplaced except for one area. To Phil’s left was a small hallway, pristine and bright, and completely filled with tennis memorabilia. At the end of the hallway was a makeshift tennis ball launcher, in front of him was a button panel to turn it on. He flipped the switch and tennis balls came flying towards him. He stepped out of the hallway to avoid being hit by the yellow balls, but then realizing that at the other end of the hall, there was a Gatherer’s Garden and sitting there within the vending machine was the telekinesis plasmid. Phil turned the hypo over and over in his hands, giving a sigh as he filled it up with the bright red liquid and gritting his teeth as he injected himself. He felt a heavy weight upon him, bringing him down to the floor, he felt as if an elephant had sat on his whole body. Gasping for air, Phil picked himself up.

_Come on Phil..for Dan._

  
Once Phil collected himself, he headed back the way he came, going back to the room where Dan was taken. The same splicer was there, waiting for Phil, just without Dan.

_The splicer must’ve taken Dan to Dr. Steinman.. Damn it.._

The splicer gave a blood curdling laugh and began to hurl the explosives at Phil. Phil lifted his hand and used the plasmid, suspending the grenade in mid-air, then throwing it at the debris blocking off the way to Surgery. While doing so, Phil was dodging the flying explosives, trying to avoid the clouds of smoke as he would return the grenades to explode in the splicer’s face. Eventually, the dance with explosives came to end, and Phil continued on, knowing that he would find Dan soon. Going down dark, winding halls, Phil eventually came to Steinman’s quarters. Cut off by a thick pane of glass, Phil came face to face with the man whose name was plastered across just about every poster in the Medical Pavilion. Steinman was standing over one of his spliced patients, his mental state clearly unstable.

“What can I do with this one, Aphrodite? She WON'T. STAY. _STILL!_ I want to make them beautiful, but they always turn out wrong!”

Large lights began to focus on the bodies of previous patients, hanging from large boards that were connected to the ceiling.

“That one...too fat! This one...too tall! This one...too symmetrical! And now -”

Steinman stopped in mid sentence of his rant, spotting Phil standing on the side of the glass.

“What's this, goddess? An intruder! He's ugly! Ugly, ugly, _UGLY!”_

There were doors on either side of Phil, both opening up, welcoming him into Steinman’s quarters. As soon as he stepped through, the doctor began shooting, running everywhere, trying to avoid the shots of electricity and bullets coming from Phil. Through the fight, Phil was on the lookout for Dan, trying to catch a possible glimpse of boyfriend. Safe, he hoped.

Eventually the tango came to an end, Dr. Steinman gone. Phil went to see if the patient that was left on the surgery table was still with life, but as he approached, it was visible that Steinman took her life. For there were no incisions, all he left were large wounds from shoving surgical instruments through her skin. Phil covered his mouth, trying to keep himself from puking again, and made his way around the table, looking in every place Dan could be held. Atlas checked up on him.

“You all right? It was time somebody took care of that sick bastard. Make sure you get the key off Steinman and head back to emergency access. I'm working my way to the back side of Port Neptune myself. We'll get there soon enough.”

Phil remembered about the key and quickly went back to Steinman’s body, slipping his hands into the pockets of his lab coat, coming into contact with a cold smooth surface, that being the Emergency Access Key. Finally with the key, Phil went back to his search for Dan. He came across a small opening in the wall, and he went through, finding Dan huddled in a corner, shaking and covered in markings that Steinman had made on his skin.

“DAN! Dan, Dan, it’s alright, it’s me Dan, I’m here.”

Dan looked up, fear was swimming in his eyes.

“P-Ph..il..Phil..Is..is that you?”

He reached up to take Phil’s hand. Phil slowly pulled him up off the floor and began to check Dan to see if he was alright. Steinman had marked his skin in the oddest of places, not to modify him, but to destroy him.

“Hey, hey it’s alright, I’m here Dan, I’m here.”

Phil brought one of Dan’s hands up to his face, to let him feel that it was him. He took Dan into an embrace, being careful not to hurt him.

“Come on,” Phil whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”

Phil took Dan’s hand in his and they walked out, Dan could barely keep his balance, the lights visibly bothering him.

****  
  


The boys were making their way back to the Emergency Access, but before they knew it, the body of a Big Daddy flew in front of them, the screeching of a Little Sister could be heard from the other room and Atlas grew giddy.

“It's a little one ... Here's your chance to get some ADAM..”

They made their way to the room where the Little Sister was, but they weren’t the only ones there. A splicer started to creep towards the child.

“...it's just you, me, and all of the tasty ADAM I can drink..”  
  


A sudden bullet flew through the air and pierced the splicers head, a woman’s voice could be heard from one of the balconies above the boys and they looked up, the woman pointing the pistol at Phil then slowly moving her aim to Dan.

“Stay away from her, or it is you two who will be shot next.”

Atlas spoke up with a tone of annoyance.

“Easy now, Doctor. They’re just looking for a wee bit of ADAM, just enough to get by.”

The woman hissed back.

“I'll not have them hurt my little ones.”

Atlas began speaking to the boys.

“It's okay, lads. That's not a child, not anymore it ain't. Dr. Tenenbaum saw to that.”

Dr. Tenenbaum began to plead towards the boys.

“Bitte, do not hurt her! Have you two no heart?”

Atlas came back at her, harshness in his tone.

“Aye, that's a pretty sermon coming from the ghoul who cooked up them creatures in the first place. Took fine little girls and turned them into that, didn't you? Listen to me, boyo: you won't survive without the ADAM those ... things ... are carrying. Are you prepared to trade your life, the lives of my wife and child, for Tenenbaum's little Frankensteins?”

Tenenbaum came back with an offer for the boys.

“Here! There is another way. Use this, free them from their torment. I will make it to be worth your while, somehow.”

Phil pondered this for a moment. He knew that these were children. He couldn’t hurt them, he couldn’t harvest them. No, never. He wasn’t going to listen to Atlas, no matter what he says. Phil walked over to the little girl, picking her up in his arms. She tried fighting him off but he reassured her that everything would be alright. He placed one of his hands on the child’s forehead, and the room filled with a white light. Once it cleared, the child that was in his arms no longer had the glowing yellow eyes, the child was back to human state. He had saved the child. She jumped out of his arms and ran towards one of the metal holes in the walls, crawling into it and disappearing. Tenenbaum sighed in relief.

“The path of the righteous is not always easy, yes? The reward will become clear in time. Be patient.”

On the other hand, Atlas was upset.

“Tenenbaum's playing you for a sap. Those things may look like wee little girls, but looks don't make it so. You'll need all the ADAM you can get to survive.”

Phil looked over to Dan, exhaustion visible on his face.

“This isn’t the end quite yet, is it Phil?”

“No..not yet..this is barely the beginning..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, I'd gladly appreciate it.  
> Sequence Three will be coming soon.. hopefully..


End file.
